An approach to holistic education: Cultivating 21st century competencies using team-based learning (TBL) in the teaching of Higher 2 (H2) Biology

This paper was presented at the International Science Education Conference 2014 held in Singapore from 25 – 27 Nov 2014 ; This paper describes the application of the team-based learning (TBL) approach as a distinctive pedagogy for developing 21 st century competencies in the Higher 2 (H2) Biology classroom at Hwa Chong Institution. TBL is widely used by medical schools around the world including the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School (Parmelee, Michaelsen, Cook, & Hudes, 2012). Central to TBL is the concept of "team" and the tenets of active collaborative learning and communication, which are encapsulated in the contextualization of syllabus content in real-world settings to cultivate 21 st century competencies. The TBL approach hinges on both students' self-directed learning as well as collaborative teamwork through team-based assignments. Students also receive frequent and immediate feedback. In this way, students are no longer passive recipients of information, but are active, engaged learners responsible for their own learning through collaborative interactions with their peers. Our findings show that the TBL approach is indeed an effective classroom pedagogical strategy in fostering students' deep understanding of biological concepts, engaging students' interest and participation, and motivating students to take ownership of their learning. More importantly, it also develops students' capabilities in critical thinking, creative thinking and caring thinking. These three cognitive and affective domains are the cornerstones of the Hwa Chong Global Literacies Matric that is aligned to our school's mission of defining holistic education.